Volunteers come rushing to Greensburg

Emilie Arkin

Wednesday

May 9, 2007 at 12:01 AMMay 9, 2007 at 8:01 AM

By Emilie ArkinGateHouse News ServiceGREENSBURG, Kan. -- An eerie silence that settled over Greensburg, Kan., after residents walked away from their tornado-toppled homes and businesses Friday night was replaced Tuesday with the buzz of a busy city on the mend.

Volunteers have joined the 1,400 Greensburg residents in their recovery from the F-5 tornado that left a mile-wide footprint an estimated 22 miles long.

Volunteers handed out food and water, gave tetanus shots and cleared debris.

“We would all be in very bad shape (without the volunteers),” said Patty Christman, who lived 1.5 miles out of town on Route 1. “We need the basics; it’s all been taken away.”

A steady stream of volunteers checked in with Americorps volunteer Hillary Holstein on Tuesday morning, and she continued registering those who wanted to help throughout the day.

Pushing a cart filled with bottled water, Kansas All Hazard Behavior Health volunteers Gail Sullivan and June Barger, of Great Bend, Kan., and Larned, Kan., respectively, were doing double duty. As part of the disaster health organization, the pair were offering much needed beverages to residents and workers while gathering information about residents’ needs.

“We’re finding out what people need — gloves, hats, sunscreen, whatever — and we report back and try to provide those things,” Sullivan said.

They also lend a sympathetic ear. Sullivan, a psychologist, said shehadn’t seen anyone break down, but had seen some teary eyes during her curb-side sessions.

“Anyone who is really in distress – well, really everyone is — but those who are especially distressed, we direct them to available resources,” she said.

The American Red Cross is among the organizations present, serving people in shelters in the neighboring towns of Haviland and Mullinville, among other things, according to Karyn Yaussy, American Red Cross national spokesperson.

Besides offering meals and a bed to those whose homes were destroyed, volunteers are giving people a shoulder to cry on if necessary and helping people obtain vouchers to fulfill their basic needs.

“Assistance is needs based,” Yaussy said. “Some just need a couple of sets of clothes, while others need help locating housing.”

With loads of donations coming in, the Red Cross and volunteers from other organizations spent hours Tuesday sorting the items for distribution.

Joining the constant hum of FEMA trailers and television news vans for the first time since the tornado were the grind of chainsaws and the churn of backhoes.

An Americorps emergency response team has been on hand in Greensburg since early this week lending a hand wherever needed. But with cleanup beginning, they are gearing up to focus on their specialty — debris removal.

Before jumping into the debris, though, a group of Harvey County Health Department officials are on hand to administer tetanus shots to anyone who needs one, according to Rita Flickinger, who was among the group.

She said more than 300 shots had been administered by 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“Just walking down the street, people are getting injured,” Flickinger said. “People are stepping on things or stepping on nails in the debris and puncturing their shoes.”

She was encouraging all residents, volunteers and workers to get the shot before even trying to maneuver the town’s wreckage.

“It’s the best preventative medicine we can do for the rest of cleanuptime,” Flickinger said.

The group teamed up with Heart to Heart, which offered basic medicaltreatment, such as dealing with splinters and nail punctures, said Marge Malkames, field coordinator for the organization’s global crisis response team.

“We can even do some minor (stitches), but there is also advanced lifesupport here so if things get hairy an ambulance can transport people,” she said. “If you spring a leak and start bleeding, come here.”

As residents grieved their losses — both personal possessions and nineneighbors — and looked to the future by digging through the past, anunforgiving sun beat down Tuesday, making beverages and food a commodity in a town still without water service, electricity, gas and sewer.

Salvation Army canteens staffed with volunteers whose only goal is to fulfill the needs of residents and disaster recovery crews served up cold water, Gatorade, soda and a host of snacks. The organization had four canteens in Greensburg on Tuesday, according to Brian Carroll, service extension director for The Salvation Army, Kansas and Western Missouri Division.

“This is just what I do,” said Douglas Strieby, a Olathe, Kan., resident and retired law enforcement officer. “I used to get paid (to help people); now I do it for people for free.”

As he set the drinks in the window and people one by one grabbed their choice, he said he would drop anything to get out to a disaster to help its victims.With an influx of volunteers already in Greensburg and more on the way, Holstein said a volunteer reception center will be established later this week but details were not available yet.

“We want to make sure no one is falling through the cracks,” she said. “We want to make sure everyone is getting the help they need.”

And the people of Greensburg were grateful for all the assistance andattention, said George Hagen, a Salvation Army volunteer from Kansas City.

“They’re very positive and so thankful for everything we offer,” he said.“I’m amazed by them. Compared to the Katrina people, they almost seem, well, happy.”

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